Pedal Point

This is a preview of the educational program A Jazz Improvisation Almanac which is under development for the Outside Shore Music Online School. Feel free to browse this preview and learn what you can from it. For a more completed product, though, check out the original freely browsable jazz textbook, A Jazz Improvisation Primer.

An interesting type of harmonic tension can be achieved by keeping the bass note constant while allowing the chords to change above. This technique is called pedal point, a term inherited from its use on pipe organs. Pedal point may be called for specifically in a given composition or in a particular arrangement, or it may be something you decide to do on your own.

The word "pedal" may appear in the arrangement to specify that pedal point is intended:

[EXAMPLE]

Often, the word "pedal" is not used explicitly. Whenever you see a series of slash chords all specified with the same bass notes, this generally indicates pedal point as well:

[EXAMPLE]

When playing pedal point, you would not normally walk. Any rhythm you play should emphasize the pedal note itself. Usually this means playing mainly whole notes:

[EXAMPLE]

You can also insert pickups and other lines that reinforce the pedal:

[EXAMPLE]

Another common technique is to play on the offbeats:

[EXAMPLE]

Pedal point creates tension, and it tends to be used for phrases of perhaps four or eight measures before being released:

[EXAMPLE]

You need not wait until pedal point is specified in an arrangement before using this technique. There are a number of common progressions that lend themselves to pedal point. Some of these are described below.

Vamps are particularly appropriate vehicles for pedal point. Often, a vamp will consist of two chords that come from the same key. When this happens, the dominant or V of that key works well as a pedal. For example, the following ii-V vamp is played with pedal point:

[EXAMPLE]

In this case, the V underneath the ii chord causes it to act as a Vsus chord:

[EXAMPLE]

Another common vamp that can benefit from a dominant pedal is the I-V:

[EXAMPLE]

In this case, it is the I chord that now acts something like a Vsus chord.

Pedal point can be used over ii-V or V-I progressions even outside the context of a vamp:

[EXAMPLE]

This approach can be used in longer progressions as well:

[EXAMPLE]

In the above examples, the pedal tends to reinforce the tonality by emphasizing the dominant. Pedal point need not be limited to diatonic or even tonal progressions, however. Pedal point when used in a modal progression can have the effect of establishing a sense of tonality where one did not exist before, as chords that otherwise held no obvious relationship to each become more like harmonic decoration of the pedal note. It does not particularly matter what note is chosen as the pedal:

[EXAMPLE]

In atonal or free music, pedal point can be an effective organizing tool, giving other players a frame of reference to use for a while:

[EXAMPLE]

Copyright 2000 Outside Shore Music
Authored by Marc Sabatella

Pedal Point